Asthma Information

Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory system. The airways carrying air to the lungs become inflamed and constricted, leading to an asthma attack. When an asthma attack occurs, you may experience one or more of these symptoms: coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath.

Treatment of Asthma

Asthma can be controlled. Medication, environmental changes, and life-style changes can all be part of the treatment. The more the patient (or family for young children) understands the disease and its treatment, the better the outcome is likely to be.

Understanding Your Asthma Medications

Nebulizers vs. Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI’s):

Some people feel they get more relief with nebulizers compared to Metered Dose Inhalers (MDI's). However, many studies have shown that if you use your inhaler correctly, the MDI will deliver as much medication to your lungs as a nebulizer. The only reason to use a nebulizer is either because you are too ill or have a physical problem such as arthritis. The advantage to using a MDI is that it is portable - you can take it anywhere you want to go.

Steroids:
The symptoms of asthma, (wheezing, cough, shortness of breath), are caused by narrowed airways. This narrowing is caused by inflammation inside your lungs. Medications called steroids supress the inflammation process. Steroids may be given intravenously (IV or "in your vein"), in pills, (e.g. Prednisone), or inhaled (e.g. Azmacort, Pulmicort, Vanceril, Qvar, Flovent).

Bronchodilators:
These medications relax the muscles around your airways so they open wider. There are quick-relief and long-term control bronchodilators.

Quick-Acting Bronchodilators: start working in 5-10 minutes and usually last 4-6 hours, (e.g. Albuterol/Proventil, Alupent, and Atrovent/Ipratropium).

Slow-Onset, Long Lasting Bronchodilator: is NOT used for quick relief; starts working more slowly and lasts about 12 hours, (e.g. Salmeterol/Serevent).

Click here for community class schedule at California Pacific Medical Center. You will learn about asthma control, environmental triggers and medication management.

Click here for tips on asthma prevention to find out more about caring for yourself at home.

Learning Resources is a new online searchable database, where you can access over three hundred resources created by California Pacific staff and physicians for its patients and their families. You will find support groups, classes, info sheets and more for a health topic of your concern. Click here to enter our resource library.